- The seven-time world champion will face Zhao Xintong in the semi-finals
- O’Sullivan claimed he was in ‘hell’ during his second-round win at the Crucible
Ronnie O’Sullivan remains gloomy about his prospects of winning a record eighth World Snooker Championship – despite reaching the semi-finals of this year’s tournament at the Crucible.
The Rocket beat promising Chinese prospect Si Jiahui 13-9 on Wednesday to book his place in the last four in Sheffield.
O’Sullivan, 49, has been downbeat throughout the event, even claiming he was in ‘hell’ during his second-round win over Pang Junxu.
And the seven-time world champion was no more optimistic after clinching his victory over Si, insisting he was playing ‘awful’ and was ‘lucky’ to be in the semi-finals.
‘I had some work done on my cue today, probably have to get a new ferrule, a new tip, it just feels awful, the cue,’ O’Sullivan said.
‘I’m playing awful and the cue feels awful. It’s the worst situation to be in as a snooker player. I’m still in so I’ll keep punching away, keep trying.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has insisted he is ‘lucky’ to be in the semi-finals of the World Snooker Championship
O’Sullivan has changed his cue, which he described as ‘awful’ after being Si Jiahui
‘He had lots of chances. I was trying all sorts, trying to hold the cue in a different place to get a bit of feel, I’ll just try anything.’
O’Sullivan, who had not played competitively since January before arriving in Sheffield, said Si failed to punish him for his mistakes during his quarter-final win.
‘He played poor in the whole match really, let me off the hook loads of times, so I got lucky again,’ he said.
‘It gets harder because you look at the standard, Judd the way he’s playing, Mark Williams, Xintong. I won’t be able to get away with what I’ve got away with in the last three matches.
‘I don’t think I can get any worse but we’ll have to see.’
The prospect of O’Sullivan making history has sparked increased demand for tickets.
Mail Sport revealed on Wednesday that snooker bosses have issued a warning to fans after it emerged tickets for the World Championship final are being sold for as much as £3,500.
Interest in the Rocket has sent ticket prices skyrocketing on resale platforms, prompting organisers to remind fans they may be refused entry if they have bought their seat off an unauthorised site.
The Rocket is targeting a record eighth world title but does not fancy his chances this year
The most expensive tickets for Monday’s last session are going for £3,502 on StubHub and £3,187 on Viagogo. That is almost five times the face value of the top hospitality seats in the Century Club, which are priced at £710.
Even standard tickets are being flogged for an eye-watering £1,212 – more than eight times the face value of £145. The cheapest seats listed for Monday night’s session are as much as £555.
A World Snooker Tour spokesperson told Mail Sport: ‘Tickets are non-transferable and not for re-sale.
‘Reselling a ticket for profit/commercial gain without the express permission of the promoter will make it void and the holder may be refused entry to or removed from the venue.
‘In addition, tickets bought from unauthorised sources may not be valid and admission to the event may not be permitted.’
